Synesthesia
by Vegetarian Salad
Summary: When something is lost, how much love are we willing to expend to get it back? NejiHinaNaru. ON HOLD.
1. Chapter 1

_Will she ever come back?_

It was the one question Neji asked himself every day and had yet to answer. She had vanished on a mission almost three years ago now. Her teammates had no idea where she was, and it was more than likely none of them would ever see her again. Such is the life of a ninja.

Two months after her confirmed disappearance, Tsunade had officially registered her as a missing nin in the Bingo Book, just in case, she said, it turned out that she had betrayed Konoha and was working under someone else. But looking at her kind face photographed in the book, Neji thought she was the least likely person to become a rogue ninja, and he was sure everyone who knew her agreed.

Naruto was the one that was struck the hardest by her lacking presence. They had been engaged; the date had been set – but where was the bride? Just as with Sasuke years before, he searched for her devoutly, with the help of all those who missed her, especially her teammates and Neji.

And although he still followed any lead they found, tirelessly watching for any sign of her, Neji had given up hope that she would ever come home. If she wasn't dead, and that was very likely considering her profession, then she was a traitor, and she was in hiding. Konoha was a wonderful place, and no one who lived there stayed away longer than necessary.

But Neji was still willing to put into practice his willing suspension of disbelief, especially the day Shikamaru had bowed low before him and his uncle. He had been willing to set aside the facts when Shikamaru held out an envelope for Hiashi, who took it, pulling out the photograph inside. He had been willing to believe Shikamaru and his serious expression when he said: "Hiashi-san, we have located your daughter."


	2. Chapter 2

**Megui-chan: **I'm glad you're interested! I hope this doesn't turn out disappointing!

**Karkadann: **We'll find out, won't we?

Hiashi was as calm as always, despite the slight shaking of his hands that signified his aging. "What is your course of action?"

Shikamaru produced a scroll, passing it into Neji's hands. "It will be a four-man team, with Neji as leader."

"Why is such a large team needed for a search-and-retrieval mission?" Neji's knuckles were white in gripping the scroll. It felt so strange to see her face, to be holding the specs for a mission to find her. It felt too unreal.

"We don't know the circumstances under which Hinata-san is living. If it becomes evident that she is a part of a terrorist group, you must be prepared to fight your way out with her. Shino and Kiba know the area, since their last mission there had been recon. Hokage-sama's original intention was to send just you and Naruto but considering the chance of ambush, she found it best to include Hinata-san's teammates." Unspoken went the vital fact that the four people going were the four who cared most for her.

Hiashi's trembling hand extended, silently demanding the scroll, and Neji placed it in his fingers, lifting his white eyes to his friend's face. "Does the rest of the team know the details yet?"

Shikamaru shook his head, his frown deliberate. "Hokage-sama thought it best to inform Hiashi-san first. Do you have any concerns, Hiashi-san?"

The older man's face, as his keen eyes scanned the careful print on the scroll, was tired. A soft sigh emitted that only his nephew heard. "Just bring her home."

0

"It's a straight shoot to Snow Country." Neji pointed at the map he had laid on the ground. "We're expected as diplomats, so it should be a virtually uneventful trip."

Naruto's feet interrupted the paper, his toe directly obliterating Wind Country. "We've _got _this, Neji. Let's just _go._"

He frowned up at the energetic blonde, who was in shadow, the sun silhouetting him, making him look almost eternal, like a lost god. Neji wondered if it was a prophecy. "I know you're eager, Naruto." His tone was even as he straightened, still standing three inches taller after all these years. "I want to find her, too. But, if we rush in with no thought to what we're doing, we'll lose her." His gaze was pointed as he added, "_again._"

"Does Yukigakure know we're there on Search-and-Retrieval?" Kiba piped up, hands on hips in his relaxed way, as if nothing bothered him.

Neji shook his head. "Due to the fact that Hinata-sama is a Hyuuga, we are keeping ourselves discreet. The last thing we want is for an enemy ninja to realize that the Byakugan is vulnerable for capture."

"But do we know that Hinata is in danger?" Shino's voice was monotonous, quiet. He spoke rarely and only with great deliberation.

"We'll find out when we get there." Neji sighed, bending to retrieve his map. Rolling it up, he looked to the sky, noting the light in the east. "Dawn is breaking. We should go now. If we make good time, we'll be there in three days."

"_Alright!_" Naruto's cry echoed through the trees, and he leapt after it. Kiba howled, following him, his giant dog on his heels. Shino's eyebrow lifted in Neji's directions, a silent _Shall we?_ and then, with their last chakra signals, the team had left Konoha.

"We should keep going!" Naruto was yelling. "We're not that tired – it barely takes any chakra to _walk. _We should spend the night walking too."

"Naruto," Neji had assumed his most no-nonsense stance, drawing himself up, his arms crossed over his chest. "_I _am the mission leader, and _I _said we were stopping for the night. It's long past nightfall; we've already made better time than expected." He brushed past him, proceeding toward the fire. "We'll begin again at dawn." Sitting down, he permitted himself a moment for weariness, which he rarely did, sighing softly as his shoulders relaxed. He hated missions that cut close to his heart. They caused him far more stress than he would normally allow himself to feel, so he avoided working with his friends.

During the one mission he had done with Hinata, he had come close to three panic attacks because he forgot she was strong enough to take care of herself. After nearly killing himself trying to protect her when he didn't need to, he furiously informed Tsunade that he would _never _do a mission with his cousin again. For weeks after, Hinata thought she had done something wrong and he was angry with her, he was really angry at himself for not putting up that barrier between emotion and duty.

Naruto plopped down next to him, resting his chin on his knees, his irritated eyes reflecting the flames of their campfire, his face stained orange from the light.

"Naruto," Neji's voice was as gentle as he could muster, and he rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know you're anxious to find her. We all are. We all miss her like you do. But we can't compromise the mission, no matter how eager we are. You understand, don't you?"

"Of course I do." He whispered, smiling gratefully, as if he just wanted someone to whom to talk. "I've been waiting so long to see her again, trying so hard to find her, being so _patient. _And now that it's _right here_, that it's only a few days until I can hold her, I feel like I've waited long enough, you know?" He sighed, shaking his head. "She's the only girl who's ever meant anything to me, and I need to know she still exists." His eyes were so full of hope and despair, as he looked up at the older boy. "Have you ever loved anyone like that?"

Neji's eyes followed the flames as they leapt up, piercing this darkness. "Yes, I have."

0

Kiba kicked the sleeping bag that lay tangled on the ground. "Oi, Naruto. _You're _the one who wanted to start early – and _you're _the one taking forever getting up! Don't make me _drag _you to Snow Country."

The blonde was dashing into the trees before he had a chance to kick him again, and the others hurried to follow.

"Neji!" Naruto grinned teasingly over his shoulder. "Neji, aren't you the team leader?"

He rolled his eyes, ignoring the goad, and sped up to put himself in the lead. "Listen, we're going to arrive at the border early tomorrow morning." His feet were so light on the branches that the leaves barely shook as he pushed off. "But that's only if we stop. We could go on through the night, and we'll be there by midnight." He could feel more than see Naruto's gratitude for the suggestion.

"Isn't it more dangerous that way?

"Scared, Kiba?" Naruto mocked, his excitement controlling his chakra, and a branch broke beneath is bounding feet. "Who cares about danger?"

0

"State your names." The guard at the gate read a paper, a list of the ninja allowed in the village.

They did and were allowed to pass, stepping through the temporarily opened gate, shivering. The climate in Konoha was warm, and anyone on a mission to Yukigakure suffered severely.

"Where do we start?" Kiba huddled close to Shino, keeping warm against him in the affectionate way he was known for.

"The inn where we're staying," Neji squinted up at the dark sky, ignoring the goose bumps lighting on his skin. "We're here. We can rest easy now. Hinata-sama will be there in the morning, wherever 'there' is."

They agreed, Naruto begrudgingly, of course.

That night, as Neji lay away in the room he shared with the Uzumaki, gazing out at the cold, distant stars, Naruto's silhouette lighted on the windowsill, pausing, and then was gone into the night, leaving Neji unsurprised.


	3. Chapter 3

**RaggedyWings: **Thanks, hun!

**Megui-chan: **I hope I'm not taking too long to update – I only use the Internet on the weekends.

"Neji-kun, Naruto's gone." Kiba was shaking him awake, sounding annoyed but resigned, like it had been expected.

Neji sighed, opening his eyes without even a slight evidence of excess sleep. "I know," he sat up, pulling his fingers through the knots in his hair. "He left last night when he thought I was asleep."

Kiba's head titled, a perturbed look on his face. "Why didn't you stop him?" There was no accusation in his tone; he was curious, often more like a kitten than a dog.

"Not even Naruto is going to make a commotion in an unfamiliar shinobi village." Shino answered for him. "The chances are that he just went snooping, getting to know his way around. He wouldn't have found her last night."

The door slammed against the wall; the room quaked as if in excitement. Naruto stood panting in the doorway, smiling victoriously. "She-she w-works at the Yuki Hospital!" he laughed breathlessly.

They stared at him. "How do you know?" Kiba finally asked.

"Well, when I started seeing people in the streets, 'cause I was just walking around and stuff, I started showing them her picture, and everyone said she was a nurse."

"So you spent the whole night walking around?"

He sighed, exasperated. "Miss the point much, Kiba? We know where she is! We can go get her! We can bring her home!"

Neji had moved to stand by the window, gazing up at a sky that matched his eyes, clear and white. "Naruto, there are several factors we must consider."

"Right," Kiba nodded. "We can't rush in, grab her, and run. First of all, they'll think she's being kidnapped, especially if she puts up a fight."

The blonde's face darkened into a scowl. "She's not an enemy! Why would she do that?"

"Any number of reasons, Naruto," Neji sighed, turning his stern expression on his friend. "But we might as well go to the hospital and see if she's there. Depending on her reaction to us, we might be able to take her back to Konoha with no commotion."

And that was how it happened that they were walking down the village street, taking in the crisp, cool air and talking quietly, ignoring the curiosity of the villagers. In their own ways, some quiet, subdued; some obvious, they were all anxious to get there, to see her, to know for themselves, for sure, that she was alive.

Neji found his nails digging into his palms as his fists clenched. His mind was running a race, fighting a battle. Should he be angry with her when he found her, should he be so gentle that she smiled with relief to see him? His heart was overflowing with a need for answers, for closure, for anything. He didn't understand what was happening now, and he didn't like feeling lost.

"Are we ready?" Naruto's voice barely breached a whisper, his excitement fighting against the tight constraints he'd pulled around it. The sterile white building before them, so obviously a hospital, seemed like a monster they needed to fight, to defeat.

Their sandaled feet ascended the steps slowly, and then they were pushing the doors open, immediately greeted with the exploding commotion that was so common in places that were constantly busy. Nurses, marked by their white uniform dresses, scurried from place to place, pushing wheelchair-confined patients, consulting with doctors, carrying trays with breakfasts.

The receptionist smiled at them as they approached. "Which patient are you here to see?"

"We're actually looking for someone." Neji produced the photograph. "We received information that she-."

Without even glancing at the picture he held extended for her, she stood. "You're looking for Hinata-san, aren't you? You must be her brother. You look so much alike!"

He blinked, not bothering to correct her. It was irrelevant. "May we see her?"

She nodded, calling to a passing nurse, "Ami-san! Please tell Hinata-san that she has visitors." Her kind smile returned as she looked back at him. "You may wait over along that wall. She'll be out in a moment."

"She's really here." Naruto said softly as they did as she said. "It's not a dream anymore! She's really here!"

He and Neji both remained standing, unable to take the moment of stress that would be sitting down, that would be waiting.

"Excuse me; Ami-san said there was someone to see me?"

All four heads lifted abruptly. There she was. Her back was to them, her dark hair pulled into a horsetail. They recognized immediately the way she stood, with her head inclined respectfully, her hands before her, most lightly clasped. And after the receptionist pointed, she turned, and her familiar white eyes met Naruto's joyful blue. She blinked at him, her head tilted, porcelain face marred with confusion, as she made her way toward them.

"May I help you?" her quiet, sweet voice spoke softly as she bowed to him.

"Hinata, it's me!" Naruto laughed, embracing her. "You don't need to be so formal!"

Her mouth opened in a gasp, surprised. "Please, sir, what are you doing?"

He pulled back, his hands on her shoulders, staring at her. "Hinata, it's me. It's Naruto. What's wrong?"

Her smile was polite as she shook her head. "I'm sorry; I don't know you, Naruto-kun. Maybe you know another Hinata?" Her gaze traveled to Shino and Kiba, equally blank, equally unknowing. When she came to Neji, her eyes widened. Slowly, she stepped toward him, staring at him like he was the answer to a riddle. "You look like me," she whispered; frightened, meek. "I should know you, shouldn't I?"

Neji's throat closed, and he swallowed trying to find the will to speak. She was standing before him. She was here, and they were seeing her. He could smell the lavender perfume she had always worn, could feel her hand on his, shaking like a leaf.

"Who are you?" she asked him. "Can you tell me who I am?"

And then he understood. He knew why she had never come home. Closing his hand over hers, he tried to say as evenly as possible, "I am Hyuuga Neji, a jounin of Konohagakure, and your protector. You are Hyuuga Hinata, Chuunin of Konohagakure and heir of the Hyuuga clan."

And then she had slumped against him, fainted, and he held onto her, held her against him, trying to convince himself that this wasn't a dream either.


	4. Chapter 4

**NaruSasulove22: **Thank you!

**Kichou: **Hey, buddy! Thank you.

**Kibagaaralover18: **Thank you! I'm curious about that too. (No, I'm joking. I do actually know. Haha.)

**Elemental Dragon1: **I don't want this to be a horrendously long story. Besides, it concentrates mostly on Hinata getting her memory _back _which is going to take a while. -.-

**RaggedyWings: **Is Hinata honestly the criminal type though? Haha. Thank you!

**SasukeUchihaLuver: **… Interesting theory. O.o

Hinata's breath came soft with a sigh as her big eyes opened. The startled lift of her eyebrows suggested that she hadn't expected to see them again, especially in her hospital room. What's more, Naruto's hand was squeezing her fingers, lovingly and inappropriately, considering the circumstances. When she slipped her hand away, settling it on her stomach in a polite way, his face crumpled, and Neji rolled his eyes as he stood.

"Hinata-sama," he bowed, although he wasn't sure why. She had no idea that she was the eldest daughter of Konoha's most noble clan, and that he was practically a servant in comparison. But something possessed him to use the same respect, the behavior that was expected of him. "How are you feeling?"

A strange expression twisted her face. "There's a taste like apples in my mouth."

He flinched, stricken by the words.

_"Neji-nii-san!" A little girl's bright smile, and the green fruit cupped in her tiny, chubby fingers. "Would you like to share?"_

Clearing his throat, he made a show of checking her vitals, despite the fact that she had fainted merely because she had been overwhelmed. The dull _thump _of her pulse beneath her skin seemed to echo his own heartbeat, and he drew away from her stepping back. "Hinata-sama, what is the first memory you have?"

Her brow furrowed thoughtfully as she pushed herself to sit straight. "I remember waking up in this hospital, knowing nothing about myself except 'Hinata' and being told I'd been in a coma for nearly six weeks."

Kiba, who had been sitting mostly quiet beside Shino at the end of the bed, looked up. "Neji-kun, Shino an I were attacked the night she disappeared. Maybe she was attacked too?" He turned to his teammate. "Did you have any injuries when you woke up?"

She shook her head, obviously confused. "The doctor said that when I came in, my arm was broken and I had a black eye, but they had healed by the time I woke up. He said I had a severe concussion that had put me in a comatose state." She looked around them. "These people – the ninja of this village – they didn't attack you, did they?"

"We don't know." Kiba had crept around to the side of the bed, staring down at her like he couldn't believe he was talking to her. "They got away before we could question their motives, and we needed to, because we weren't here on anything but recon."

"I don't think it was anyone here," her voice was soft. "We feel no animosity for Konoha."

"You mean _they _feel no animosity for Konoha." Naruto corrected loudly, almost angry. "You're _from _Konoha!" He turned to Neji. "When are we taking her home?"

She sat up straight, alarmed. "Home? To Konoha?"

"Yes."

"But," her eyes fell to her lap, "my home is here."

0

"Are you sure I must go back to Konoha?"

It was nearly sunset, and Naruto, Kiba and Shino were making the necessary preparations to remove Hinata from the village, much to Naruto's chagrin. He thought it was his right to remain with her in the hospital. But Neji had pointed out the fact that she had only recognized him, and that Naruto only made her nervous, so reluctantly, he went.

Sighing, the Hyuuga cast his eyes toward the darkening sky. "Hinata-sama, even if we didn't miss you, which we did, you are the successor of our clan, and a Konoha kunoichi besides. We could not allow you to remain here alive, even if you have no memories." He had always been less than sensitive, and he knew now that he was being harsher than necessary, but it had been three years. He had forgotten how to handle such fragility.

"I understand," she whispered, thought there was a good chance she didn't. Her fingers twisted in her blankets. "Neji-san, how do I know those people?"

His next sigh was not quite a sigh, just a slow exhalation of relief. He had been waiting for her to ask. "Kiba and Shino were your teammates when we were Genin, Naruto," he hesitated, unsure how to phrase this so that she wouldn't be frightened. "Naruto is your betrothed."

She flinched at the word, her pale eyes flickering blue in terror. "I have to marry him?" He barely caught the murmured question, her surprise echoing through it.

Neji smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "_You _chose him. You have been in love with him since you were in the Academy."

Her hand came to her lips, and she bit lightly on her thumbnail in a thoughtful way, her eyes averted; a habit she had had since she was young. "I don't remember him." She hid her face in her palms, peeking through the cracks in her fingers at him. "You are the most familiar to me." She admitted shyly, forcing her hands to her knees. "I nearly remember you." Her gaze lifted to his face. "Tell me of my family, please."

So he did. He told her of her father, of her younger sister. He told her names and stories of all the members of the main house that he could remember. It was the most he had spoken in a long time, probably since she had left, and his throat ached, but he found himself reveling in the way she giggled or smiled at the tales he told because he chose the most humorous ones he knew.

He carefully omitted the detail about the curse seal, that the clan was separated into a higher class and lower class. There was nothing he wanted less than her pity. He had no intention of giving her a reason to not want to come home.

He also avoided the subject of Naruto, her engagement to him, and what she wanted to do about it. It was something she would have to decide on her own, if she wanted to go through with it or break it off.

For some reason he couldn't explain to himself, he prayed for the latter.

0

Naruto was dancing.

Or attempting to dance, anyway. He started a combination of skips and flails as soon as they stepped out of the village. Since he was so happy, he forgot, or ignored, Kiba, who was howling with laughter at his lack of rhythm.

Neji was less amused, and tried very hard to keep his twitching eyebrow as stationary as possible. Hinata's small hand was lightly gripping his sleeve, her cautious eyes darting around the forest in a way that struck him as so innocent that he found himself reaching up to squeeze her hand reassuringly. "We'll be fine." He said softly. "There's really no danger between Yuki and Konoha, and if anything happens, we'll all protect you."

She smiled weakly, her gratitude apparent. "I'm almost more worried about what will happen once we get there."


End file.
